[Closed] The STW Ski & Snowboard thread. The 2017-2018 season

Kids lift in Livignio, (1980) wore through my C&A salopettes sliding on my arse. It's tax free there so was cheaper to buy skis and boots than hire.

Bassingbourn rope tow for me. Somehow ended up in the middle of the thing and then didn't ever go back.

Hillend.

The lift I have used most, is probably the one in in CFH's photo.

Borovets, Bulgaria.

Went with a group of friends and friends of friends so there was a bit of getting to know half the people. Checked into the hotel from the Shining and went to our rooms then back to the bar. Having the how's your room chat and the answers are dowdy, it's somewhere to sleep etc. Someone asks does your telly work? Leads to did you find the porn? Where's Richard? Still up there - it's proper hardcore and he loves it.

Any recommendations for a week in Italy in late January. Mainly skiing on piste intermediate level. No need for family friendly or rowdy speed...?

Bloody autocorrect, apres not speed

First lift was at Rossendale dry slope. Getting off was an interesting experience.

The third time I went, a chap came down the slope with his stick sticking straight out in front. He was gathering speed and managed to knock me out near the base. My friend's brought me round and luckily I was only 'out' for seconds. Not a pleasant experience. The chap was banned if I remember correctly.
During another visit a young chap came careering down the slope, through the flimsy netting, landing in the carpark just below.

They're looking into snowmaking equipment that can work in +3c in Ski Amadé apparently, at the moment it has to be -3c. Not sure if/when it will happen.

Italy: I wasn't particularly impressed with Cormayeur, liked Bormio though, although a bugger to get to. Having a car in both places is good though as there are some great options on the same ski pass nearby.

First lift - the magic carpet at Xscape MK, then Poma at the same venue.
On real snow - one of the Poma lifts near Les Bergers in AdH.

Any recommendations for a week in Italy in late January.

The Selle Ronda area is a nice place - Colfosco / Corvara.

Odd, I thought I'd replied suggesting Courmayeur. I've had a weekend and two weeks there, really like it. Mrs NBT wants to go back. Rockape63 doesn't seem to like it which I can understand, but each to their own

Any recommendations for a week in Italy in late January. Mainly skiing on piste intermediate level. No need for family friendly or rowdy speed...?

What about somewhere 15k or so over the border?

8)

The Monte Rosa areas north of Turin is extensive and good for intermediates

CaptainFlashheart - Member
Any recommendations for a week in Italy in late January. Mainly skiing on piste intermediate level. No need for family friendly or rowdy speed...?
What about somewhere 15k or so over the border?

Belle plagne booked for a week in Feb. Nice and high so should be ok for snow

So does it translate as knight's greenhouse Flashy?

Could be.....

First ski lift would have been on the dry slope at Aviemore Centre.
My first lesson would have been the year before when there was no tow, which at the age of 10 in 1981 really sucked!
Move on a few years and our secondary school had it's own ski slope, again no tow.
The school's slope was actually an old bit from Hillend and it's still lying out the back of the school and hopefully it'll get fitted in our local public park, no doubt without a tow!

I'll second the Sella Ronda as a recommendation. We stayed in Arabba which is nice.

As mentioned earlier in the thread Cervinia. It's an intermediates dream, long wide slopes, not too steep - very flattering! Bonus is the ability to ski Zermatt too.

http://blistergearreview.com/industry-news/recall-arcteryx-procline-ski-boots

Oops.

It's snowing in Austria!
[url= https://www.kaunertaler-gletscher.at/en/winter/my-mountains/kaunertaler-glacier/weather-kaunertal-glacier/ ]WEATHER[/url]

Also, just enrolled on the transceiver & search training course with Henrys Avalanche Training (HAT)
Dates just released for his various courses.

Well for anyone Les Gets / PdS bound, they are rebuilding the Ranfolly (Tulipe) chair.

Igm-indeed they are, ran round the top of it last month, new footings for the towers were going in

Giant - you didn't go to inverkeithing did you ? We had one there which was tiny

New footings looked finished and a new bottom station built when I was there 10 days ago.

No NZ I went to the equally glitzy Bathgate Academy!

Get training

http://www.bbc.com/sport/winter-olympics/41256544

Trying to book our crossings to Ijmuiden so we can head to Mayrhofen, but DFDS haven't released the winter timetable yet.

First lift would have been the rope tow, on the nursery slope in Wengen, right in front of the Mannlichen lift, in 1981. Since they had to move the lift following the avalanche, they appear to have built all over that field.

Biked home in Edinburgh last night to a white garden !

Booked for Les Gets 4th Feb, woo hoo ! Ski Famille again, Marjorie which was being significantly rebuilt when i biked past in July.

First ski lift would have been on the dry slope at Aviemore Centre.
My first lesson would have been the year before when there was no tow, which at the age of 10 in 1981 really sucked!

Also had my first lesson here in 79 or 80 could have sworn it had a lift. this is the place in Aviemore town not up the mountain?

First snow lift was a couple of months later in Bardonecchia.

I bet no-one has the same first lift as I had - The Familiale at Le Lioran
[url= http://www.lelioran.com/webcam.html ]Here in it's current state[/url]

First lift was Telford dry slope, first snow was Schladming.

Currently trying to decide if I can justify 2 trips this season. A week in Obergurgl is a given, another few days in France (I fancy La Grave and Deux Alpe) appeals as well.

So I'm off to Sainte Foy Tarantaise to work the season as a ski tech. Really looking forward to it and especially looking forward to improving my off piste skills with that being what the resort is primarily known for!

Anyone from here skied there and have any tips? I know stevo (I think that's his name) operates white room from there and I've heard it's great but any particular things I should do?

Only slight concern is that I'm going to be off the bike for 5 months, anyone know if there are places in Ste Fly that have fat bikes that can be rented? Either that or some in Les Arcs, Val D'Isere or the surrounding area?

Oh and my first lift was the maenlichenbahn in the grindelwald area

any particular things I should do?

Oliver, also get a bit of Avy training in if you haven't already.

Who are you working for Oliver?

Skiing-wise, there's an incredible amount of terrain, far, far more than the piste map suggests. You really need to get out and ride with locals to get your head round a lot of it though. The more obvious stuff gets skied-out pretty fast these days (or maybe that's just my rose-tinted glasses).

Nobody rents fat-bikes in resort, but there's a few places around the valley which do. We've thought about it, but never gone for it. Doesn't seem worth the investment in cash for the likely number of clients. There would be some cool stuff to do in Sainte foy though. Riding from resort level or just above and going down into the valley. Honestly though, just forget bikes for the winter season! Come March, some of the stuff down at valley level will start to open up again, can be fun to get out on a bike if the snow isn't great. There's always a few days at the end of the season where they start letting bikes on the funi at Les Arcs!

I am going to try to run some seasonnaire stuff just before the season starts, probably including some avalanche training.

As for me, I will mostly be on my snowboard this winter: www.whiteroomsnowboarding.com !

I'm working for the Auberge & Chalets sur la Montagne.

I'll definitely attempt to get out with as many locals as possible, plus a few of the guys I'll be working with have done some seasons in the area already so I should have plenty of people to show me what's what!

Thought that might be the case, guess I'll be fine bike free for 5 months just not something I've done in the last 8 years!

I know I'll be doing some avalanche training in the first few weeks of my job, plus I'll supposedly have access to all the safety gear so I'll have stuff to use before I get my own!

Haha, I'll be on skis, no chance you'll catch me on a board....

You'll be down in La Thuile rather than up in resort, which is a bit of a pain but doable with the right attitude. It would help to have your own car.

Been to the Lorian lots of time but dont think it was my first lift .

Planning a week on 17th feb , french holidays . not sure where yet but french Alps .

[img] [/img]

Serre Che this morning! Mid mountain, below L'Yret.

http://rideeasy.co/how-it-works/

Er...no. Thanks.

You'll be down in La Thuile rather than up in resort, which is a bit of a pain but doable with the right attitude. It would help to have your own car.

Is it often possible to ski right down to the base of the valley (ie where I'll be in La Thuile) or does the snow cover/terrain make that difficult?

Seeking advice on Swiss ski resorts. Help me STW, you're my first port of call (will be going on snowheads later)

I've never skiied in Switzerland. Mrs NBT's aunt lives there, so we'd like to combine a ski trip to a new resort with the opportunity for some quality familial time. We're thinking of spending a week in march in a resort that's accessible and has something for non-skiiers for a day or two

At the moment we're looking at Davos (Platz) as I've seen a good deal for a week's half board in a hotel. As Mrs NBT's aunt lives in the Zurich area, Davos is a fairly short journey too.

However I've seen that Powdair are offering very reasonably priced flights to Sion, which is close to the Val d'Anniviers (Zinal, Grimentz et al) where I've fancied skiing for some time, and Crans Montana, as well as Verbier and so on. It's a lot further from Zurich though, and a fair whack more expensive, and I'm not sure about non-skiiers. I'm working on the idea that Dearest Aunt will only be in resort for a couple of nights, and will entertain herself in the daytime while we ski, meeting us in the evening for a repast of epic proportions.

Constructive feedback and suggestions welcomed - is it worth us looking at Western Austria for instance? We're both experienced skiiers but happy with a medium sized ski area. Last season was Passo Tonale and a late season last minute week in Meribel - previous to that we've enjoyed Courmayeur, and both love the Espace Killy and Les Arcs

Not stayed in Davos but have stayed in Klosters. As you say easy to get to from Zurich and final train forms part of the lift system. Doing the run down to Kublis, sitting in the station bar waiting for the bell to indicate the train is coming, is one of the great skiing experiences. Good mountain restaurants etc, really good trip for us as a couple.

Verbier has a lot going for it, as does Crans Montana, but if I was you I would go to Davos.

EasyJet flights released today.
Cervinia / Zermatt trip flights and accommodation booked for Easter

[video]

Is it often possible to ski right down to the base of the valley (ie where I'll be in La Thuile) or does the snow cover/terrain make that difficult?

I've never bothered myself (never lived in La Thuile), but I had some mates who used to do it pretty regularly. Getting out of resort is slightly awkward, but it's then mostly fields down to La Thuile so it's supposedly pretty doable in a good snow year. I wouldn't be relying on it though.

There's a shuttle bus between the resort and La Thuile as well, although it's not super-frequent (4 or 5 times per day).

[quote> http://rideeasy.co/how-it-works/

Er...no. Thanks.

Seen that pop-up on Facebook a few times. Hysterically shite.

nbt - have a look at Arosa. I went there with mrs r and some mates a few years ago and had an awesome time. Quiet, great pistes, pretty village, good lift and train connections - we did a ski tour over to Davos and back one day.

Ay-may-zing lift served off piste. Steeps, cliffs, bowls, looong tree runs. Most people stick to the pistes or the winter walking trails.

Would go again. Don't quite know why I haven't. It was really good.

Oh, mountain meal and pissed up tobogganing down the hill again. It doesn't [i]have[/i] to be dangerous, but...